School Visit in Cape Town

School visit in Cape Town

We visited a secondary school when we were in Cape Town called Cosat. It is a high school that has grades 9-12, and its primary focuses are Mathematics, Science and Technology.  We were told it is the only school in South Africa with a focus on Information Technology.

Students are either selected because of high achievement to attend the school or take a placement test to get in.  There are about 560 students that are currently attending the school.

The school was founded in 1999, and by 2013, 100% of the students passed the Metric test for university.  The last few school years their highest score has been 96%.  They are classified as a Model school by the South African government and because of this all the students will be receiving tablets next year to help with their access to technology.  Only the Model schools receive this advantage.

When we arrived at Cosat the Principal, Mrs. Cooper, greeted us.  She gave us an introduction into the different aspects of Cosat that she loves. She is clearly a passionate educator and takes great pride in her students’ achievements, and they in turn mentioned how supported they felt at school because of her and their teachers.

She had asked a group of students to come in during their vacation to talk with us and give us a tour of their school.  It was such a pleasure to meet all of them, and to hear about the subjects that they love to learn about. One of the students mentioned that he loved German cars, and dreams of becoming a German engineer.  Another student said she wants to become a cosmetic surgeon. 

They also told us about some of the struggles that they have faced in their schooling.

One of the students mentioned that at Cosat they are given individualized instruction, and are given time to speak with the teachers about concepts that they do not understand.   However, at her primary school teachers were overwhelmed with so many students per class, sometimes as high as 54 students to one teacher, that she felt she would miss out on learning.  Another student mentioned how at his old school some of the teachers were afraid of the students and that made learning hard as well.

A typical day at Cosat starts at 8:30 and ends at 3:30, sometimes 4. Students move together from class to class in the same group of about 30.  Saturday school is an option that some students get assigned for intervention and to fill in gaps of learning from primary school.

Outside of their core subjects students can take drama, play basketball, cricket, soccer, and chorus.  Mrs. Cooper mentioned that they have recently created a wellness center where students can come and talk to a social worker about the different problems they face in their outside lives.  She mentioned that many of her students need help paying for their uniforms and food, and that the families can access the wellness center for help with those services as well.

We were able to give the school some school supplies that we brought, as well as a donation. 

It was an amazing experience to visit a school in South Africa and to talk to the students that attended it.